Surprise! It’s a musical review!

I’ve never outright announced, proclaimed or demanded that GOO Reviews will not be reviewing musicals, in fact it’s something we’ve done a few times in the past, but more recently, under my editorship (i.e., I’m the only one left who writes our full-length reviews on a regular basis), it’s something I thought would at least be implied going forward. And yet here we are.

The release of La La Land was something that had been causing me actual apprehension for most of last year. I was conflicted about the movie because while it was going to be a musical, and thus something I could probably ignore, it was also likely to be a headline-grabbing, award-nominated movie that I’d most likely have to pay some attention to. Continue reading →

And then you die

Manchester by the Sea images courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios

“Life isn’t fair.” Odds are you’re going to hear that on at least a few occasions in your time on Earth, and if your life goes a certain way or if you too often find yourself in the company of a particular sort of person, it’s a saying that could echo and repeat and may even start to form a pattern around your entire existence. Really, the only people who like to say “life isn’t fair” are those who don’t care, especially not about your sh*t. Another saying that’s become nearly as popular is “It gets better”, and there’s a certain type of person you’re likely to hear that from too — someone who does care but who doesn’t have as firm a grasp on things as they’d like you to believe. And, if we’re being honest, they probably don’t care that much about your sh*t either. If they did, they’d realize how ignorant, manipulative, and galling saying “it gets better” can be. Continue reading →